Glimmer of Hope (Land of Tomorrow Book 1) Read Online Free
Author: Ryan King
shotgun slung low over his back.
Nathan paused and watched the boy stride up the hill. If someone had told him three months ago that he would have to suffer teenage attitude from his seventeen year old son because he did not allow the boy to finish killing two people, Nathan would have thought them crazy, but that was exactly what just happened. David gave him the same reaction when told he could not stay at a friend’s house or watch a late movie on a school night. Nathan had known a few men in combat who took to killing, but none as readily and easily as David. It wasn’t that David was homicidal; he just did not seem to feel any empathy for those in his way. Killing was just a chore to him similar to taking out the trash or doing the laundry.
Nathan bent back over to the man who was, thankfully, already dead. No such luck with the poor woman. Her eyes followed him like a wild horse, but there was no hope for her, it was a wonder she was alive at all. The buckshot had taken off part of the side of her head, leaving a portion of the brain exposed.
Nathan wanted to tell her he was sorry. Even so, he knew that was his weak effort at trying to alleviate his own guilt. Even if there was, by some miracle, a way for this woman and her friends to let him off the hook, he knew they were dead because of him. Folks just like us, he'd told Joshua and it was probably true.
He clenched his teeth and reached down to gently turn her head so the pleading eyes faced away. He neatly sliced open her carotid artery, allowing the blood to gush into the snow. Nathan stood up and moved away from the horrific sight and nauseating odors of death.
He stretched his squat muscular frame tense with painful exhaustion. He wasn’t exactly short, but his fireplug like physique made him appear shorter than he was. Nathan walked stiffly a few feet away to breathe in the cold dead air. He watched the sickly yellow sun set over the snow-covered hills. The quiet and stillness felt more ominous than peaceful. There were suddenly no sounds, even the wind stopped. The whole vastness of the earth is a gigantic open grave , thought Nathan and shuddered.
Nathan sagged down against a tree in sudden grief. Did I save his family for this? Is the world nothing but a rotting corpse? Are we fooling ourselves?
He climbed slowly back to his feet brushing the slimy snow off his body. I might be a fool , he thought, but I know no other way. The choice is simple and will be decided each day and each moment. Death or life? Despair or hope?
A gust of wind brought the sound of his boys talking. He could tell by the tone the open animosity was gone and they were brothers again, just like in days past. Maybe only for a little while, but it was something.
Nathan felt strength and purpose flow into him. I must keep them alive. I must maintain hope, however pathetic it might prove.
Nathan turned and resolutely climbed up the hill to his family and the awaiting light and warmth.
Chapter 2 – Tipping Point
Nathan looked out the grimy window at a dingy snowy wasteland. Joshua was right about the bodies attracting the wild dogs, but that was not all bad. He worried less about someone sneaking up on them with several dozen ravenous, desperate dogs roaming the area. Being forced to stay put for five days also allowed Bethany time to recover and gain strength.
There were no signs of the dogs this morning though. Four bodies only fed them for so long. Maybe we should move on , he thought. We’re almost out of food anyway . Never in his life had cold, hunger and fear been such constant and faithful companions, but reality had shrunk to a small world of fundamental and basic necessities. Warmth, sleep, food, life.
He wondered at how quickly everything came apart. Nathan wasn’t exactly certain what led to the end of the world. It was possible this phrase was even an exaggeration. After all, lots of people were still alive and the world kept turning, but Nathan couldn’t help
Nathan paused and watched the boy stride up the hill. If someone had told him three months ago that he would have to suffer teenage attitude from his seventeen year old son because he did not allow the boy to finish killing two people, Nathan would have thought them crazy, but that was exactly what just happened. David gave him the same reaction when told he could not stay at a friend’s house or watch a late movie on a school night. Nathan had known a few men in combat who took to killing, but none as readily and easily as David. It wasn’t that David was homicidal; he just did not seem to feel any empathy for those in his way. Killing was just a chore to him similar to taking out the trash or doing the laundry.
Nathan bent back over to the man who was, thankfully, already dead. No such luck with the poor woman. Her eyes followed him like a wild horse, but there was no hope for her, it was a wonder she was alive at all. The buckshot had taken off part of the side of her head, leaving a portion of the brain exposed.
Nathan wanted to tell her he was sorry. Even so, he knew that was his weak effort at trying to alleviate his own guilt. Even if there was, by some miracle, a way for this woman and her friends to let him off the hook, he knew they were dead because of him. Folks just like us, he'd told Joshua and it was probably true.
He clenched his teeth and reached down to gently turn her head so the pleading eyes faced away. He neatly sliced open her carotid artery, allowing the blood to gush into the snow. Nathan stood up and moved away from the horrific sight and nauseating odors of death.
He stretched his squat muscular frame tense with painful exhaustion. He wasn’t exactly short, but his fireplug like physique made him appear shorter than he was. Nathan walked stiffly a few feet away to breathe in the cold dead air. He watched the sickly yellow sun set over the snow-covered hills. The quiet and stillness felt more ominous than peaceful. There were suddenly no sounds, even the wind stopped. The whole vastness of the earth is a gigantic open grave , thought Nathan and shuddered.
Nathan sagged down against a tree in sudden grief. Did I save his family for this? Is the world nothing but a rotting corpse? Are we fooling ourselves?
He climbed slowly back to his feet brushing the slimy snow off his body. I might be a fool , he thought, but I know no other way. The choice is simple and will be decided each day and each moment. Death or life? Despair or hope?
A gust of wind brought the sound of his boys talking. He could tell by the tone the open animosity was gone and they were brothers again, just like in days past. Maybe only for a little while, but it was something.
Nathan felt strength and purpose flow into him. I must keep them alive. I must maintain hope, however pathetic it might prove.
Nathan turned and resolutely climbed up the hill to his family and the awaiting light and warmth.
Chapter 2 – Tipping Point
Nathan looked out the grimy window at a dingy snowy wasteland. Joshua was right about the bodies attracting the wild dogs, but that was not all bad. He worried less about someone sneaking up on them with several dozen ravenous, desperate dogs roaming the area. Being forced to stay put for five days also allowed Bethany time to recover and gain strength.
There were no signs of the dogs this morning though. Four bodies only fed them for so long. Maybe we should move on , he thought. We’re almost out of food anyway . Never in his life had cold, hunger and fear been such constant and faithful companions, but reality had shrunk to a small world of fundamental and basic necessities. Warmth, sleep, food, life.
He wondered at how quickly everything came apart. Nathan wasn’t exactly certain what led to the end of the world. It was possible this phrase was even an exaggeration. After all, lots of people were still alive and the world kept turning, but Nathan couldn’t help
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